Earl Lawrence Mindell (born January 20, 1940) is a Canadian-American writer and nutritionist who is a strong advocate of nutrition as preventive healthcare and homeopathy.
Early life and education Mindell was born to parents William and Minerva on January 20, 1940, in Saint Boniface, Manitoba. He immigrated to the United States in 1965 and was naturalized in 1972. On May 16, 1971, Mindell married Gail Andrea Jaffe; they have two children.
Mindell received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from North Dakota State University in 1963. In 1995, he earned a Master Herbalist Diploma from Dominion Herbal College. Mindell earned his Ph.D. at Pacific Western University, an unaccredited institution.
Relations with the scientific community
Mindell's theories on health and nutrition have been met with criticism in the scientific community. Mindell has previously promoted oral supplements of an "anti-aging" enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD). There is no evidence for the supposed benefits of SOD, and it is known that the enzyme would not survive the digestive process if taken orally.
Mindell made several claims about the health benefits of wolfberry juice, commercially known as "Himalayan Goji Juice", while associated with a direct-selling company called FreeLife International Inc. Mindell's claims regarding goji juice include supposed benefits for cancer patients based on evidence of cancer cell inhibition in vitro (i.e. in a dish). In an interview with Wendy Mesley on the CBC consumer television program Marketplace (aired January 24, 2007), H. Leon Bradlow, coauthor of a study that Mindell cites as support for this anti-cancer claim, says that his research does not, in fact, prove that goji has any anti-cancer properties, and that there is no scientific evidence such effects occur in vivo (i.e., when consumed). In addition, Bradlow's study was carried out at Hackensack University Medical Center, not Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as Mindell had claimed. When faced with this information, Mindell stated in the same interview that he would stop citing the study. Mesley then went on to confront Mindell about the validity of his PhD from Pacific Western University, and Mindell asserted that his degree is "accredited in every state in the Union."GojiJuiceNewsCenter.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-21. .
His book Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible was criticized by James A. Lowell in 1986, in a review reprinted by Quackwatch. The book contains over 400 errors.Jacobsen-Wells, JoAnn. (1989). "Speakers Urge Quackdown Against Health Fraud in Utah". Deseret News. Retrieved November 22, 2018. Professor of pharmacognosy Varro Eugene Tyler noted that Earl Mindell's Herb Bible contained many inaccurate statements and unsupported claims.Tyler, Varro Eugene. (1992). "Book Review Earl Mindell's Herb Bible (1992)". Quackwatch. Retrieved November 22, 2018. Mindell has also drawn criticism for his claim that habitual lying by children can be cured by large doses of B vitamins.Butler, Kurt. (1999). Lying for Fun and Profit: The Truth about the Media: Exposes the Corrupt Symbiosis Between Media Giants and the Health Fraud Industries. Health Wise Productions. p. 81. Nutritionist Kurt Butler has described Mindell as a "pill-peddling charlatan, and that his ideas are totally unsupportable". Mindell has asserted that vitamin A is safe to take in dosages up to 100,000 IU per day, but this claim is considered by some other mainstream scientists as controversial. He has also drawn criticism for stating that many medical doctors are uninformed about vitamins.Barrett, Stephen; Herbert, Victor. (1994). The Vitamin Pushers: How the "Health Food" Industry is Selling America a Bill of Goods. Prometheus Books. pp. 357-358.
Selected bibliography In total, Mindell has published over 50 books. His most notable publication, Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible, is a glossary of micronutrients published in 1979 and has been updated and re-released multiple times since. An incomplete list of his books is available below.
Selected bibliography Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible1979Rawson-Wade 892561068Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible For Your Kids1981Rawson-Wade 892561831Parent's Nutrition Bible: A Guide To Raising Healthy Children1992Hay House 1561700185Earl Mindell's Herb Bible1992Simon & Schuster 684849062Live Longer and Feel Better with Vitamins and Minerals1994Keats 879836520Earl Mindell's Food as Medicine1994Simon & Schuster 671797557Garlic: The Miracle Nutrient1996Keats 879837403Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: 22 Ways to a Healthier Heart1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837527Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Beautiful Hair, Skin and Nails1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837470Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Better Nutrition for Athletes1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837500Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Creating Your Personal Vitamin Plan1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837462Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Herbs for Your Health1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837497Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Homeopathic Remedies1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837519Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Natural Health for Men1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837535Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Natural Health for Women1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837543Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Nutrition for Active Lifestyles1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837446Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: the Super Antioxidant Miracle1996KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837217Earl Mindell's Anti-Aging Bible1996Simon & Schuster 684811065Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Fiber and Digestion1997KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837454Earl Mindell's What You Should Know About: Trace Minerals1997KeatsVirginia Hopkins879837489Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible for the 21st Century1999Warner 446607029Earl Mindell's Arthritis: What You Need To Know2000AveryMelissa Block158333081XThe Arthritis Miracle: How Ginger Extract Can Reduce Inflammatory Joint Pain2000Avery 1583330607Earl Mindell's Secrets of Natural Health: A Complete Program for Vibrant Well-Being2000KeatsVirginia Hopkins879839856Earl Mindell's New Herb Bible2000Simon & Schuster 684856395Earl Mindell's Russian Energy Secret2001Basic Health Pub.Donald R. Yance1591200008Earl Mindell's Complete Guide to Natural Cures2001KeatsVirginia Hopkins130327034Earl Mindell's Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret2003Momentum MediaRick Handel967285526Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible2004WarnerHester Mundis446614092Easing the Pain of Arthritis Naturally2005Basic Health Pub. 1591201098Earl Mindell's Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret2005Momentum Media 967285577
References
External links Official website